BioCentury
ARTICLE | Company News

Lilly continues to build cancer pipeline with AurKa acquisition

May 14, 2018 3:27 PM UTC

Eli Lilly and Co. (NYSE:LLY) signed another bolt-on deal to build its cancer pipeline, agreeing Monday to buy AurKa Pharma Inc. (Montreal, Quebec) for up to $575 million. The deal comes just four days after Lilly announced it will buy immuno-oncology company Armo BioSciences Inc. (NASDAQ:ARMO).

AurKa's sole candidate, AK-01, is an aurora kinase A (AURKA; Aurora-A) inhibitor in Phase I/II testing for solid tumors. Lilly, which discovered the compound and completed preclinical toxicology studies, sold it to TVM Capital Life Science, which then formed AurKa through the TVM Life Science Ventures VII fund in 2016. AurKa filed an IND and began the Phase I/II trial in 3Q17...